Chapter 9: Deep Dive into the Cold Pool
The surface of the Cold Pool was covered with a thin layer of ice. Chen Feng, dressed in a professional diving suit, stood at the water's edge. The beam of his flashlight pierced the dark blue water, revealing a shimmering vein of blue ore five meters below. A prompt from the Space System echoed in his ears: "Permanent magnet ore extraction progress: 0%. Underwater operational technical bottleneck must be overcome."
"General Manager Chen, the diving equipment is calibrated and ready." Jiang Xue walked over carrying heavy diving gear, her non-slip boots crunching on the frozen rocks. "The security team has cordoned off the area around the Cold Pool, and drones are patrolling every ten minutes." She had a newly equipped underwater camera tucked at her waist; its lens cover reflected the faint light shimmering on the surface of the pool.
Inside the diving module, Su Yuhan was calibrating a magnetic detector. "According to the Space System’s model, the permanent magnet vein is distributed in a spiral pattern at the bottom of the Cold Pool. The core area exceeds eighty meters in depth." She adjusted her anti-fog goggles. "However, the pressure limit for our existing equipment is fifty meters. Forcing a deeper descent would be dangerous."
Chen Feng pulled out his pendant. A light-mist projected a three-dimensional map of the pool’s depths onto the inner wall of the module. When the light-mist touched the permanent magnet vein, the same gear-pattern markings as those on his pendant suddenly appeared on the ore's surface—a sign that the Space System was resonating with the Earth's resources. "We need to build a pressure-resistant capsule using titanium alloy quenched in Cold Pool Water." He pointed to the core vein on the map. "I remember there were sketches for deep-sea exploration in my father’s blueprints."
In Old Zhou’s workshop, the old man was studying the blueprints Chen Feng had brought under a magnifying glass. "Your father once envisioned using a tungsten-chromium-vanadium alloy for a submarine hull, but he never had the chance to verify it." He suddenly looked up, a gleam in his clouded eyes. "Titanium alloy quenched in Cold Pool Water—it might just be able to withstand the pressure at a hundred meters."
Five days later, the first deep-sea pressure capsule was assembled by the edge of the Cold Pool. Chen Feng donned a specialized pressure-resistant diving suit. Jiang Xue insisted on diving with him. "If you run into any undercurrents, I can help you secure the ropes." She patted the underwater thruster at her waist, its metal components gleaming coldly in the sun.
The descent went more smoothly than expected. The titanium alloy shell of the capsule creaked slightly from the pressure at thirty meters, but it remained intact. When the searchlight illuminated the permanent magnet vein at seventy meters, Chen Feng held his breath—the entire rock face was embedded with blue crystals that vibrated gently in the current, resonating with his pendant as if they were alive.
"Begin sampling." Chen Feng activated the robotic arm. Just as the diamond drill touched the vein, a shrill alarm blared from the surface. Su Yuhan’s voice came through the underwater intercom: "Chen Feng! Three unidentified speedboats are approaching the Cold Pool, and they are equipped with underwater detection gear!"
Jiang Xue immediately activated her thruster, hiding the pressure capsule behind a massive stalactite. Through the porthole, they saw the Black Wolf Heavy Industries logo printed on the intruders' detection equipment. "It’s those people who stole the piston ring technology back then," Jiang Xue said, gripping her underwater knife. "Do you want me to go out and warn them?"
"Don't be impulsive." Chen Feng activated the Space System's electromagnetic interference function. The pendant’s light-mist turned into an invisible barrier, instantly causing the intruders' equipment to malfunction. Watching the Black Wolf Heavy Industries divers spinning in confusion, he suddenly remembered the Space System’s "Geological Resonance" function—the magnetic field of the Cold Pool would only respond to equipment held by the pendant's owner.
The first batch of permanent magnet ore samples was carefully sealed in lead boxes. When they were brought back to the lab, Engineer Zhang’s test report electrified the whole team: "General Manager Chen, the magnetic permeability of this ore is three times that of ordinary permanent magnets. It perfectly matches the core parameters for the new energy batteries!"
However, Black Wolf Heavy Industries moved faster. Three days later, Chen Feng received an anonymous package at his office containing a forged environmental impact report, accusing the Cold Pool mining operation of destroying the ecosystem. Liu Ruyan quickly pulled the 24-hour ecological monitoring logs for the pool. "They tampered with the data stream from the underwater cameras, but the water quality data stored in the blockchain cannot be forged."
"Call a press conference," Chen Feng said, looking at the clear water of the Cold Pool on the monitor. "Publish our mining plan and ecological protection plan simultaneously." He suddenly recalled the Space System’s "Natural Symbiosis" module. "Install ecological restoration devices in the mining area to increase the growth rate of water algae in the extraction zone by 50%."
Research on the new energy batteries reached a fever pitch. Chen Feng combined the permanent magnet ore with the Cold Pool Water and, guided by the Space System, successfully produced the first "Cold Pool Core" battery. When the battery maintained 90% power even in a minus 40-degree environment, cheers erupted in the lab’s low-temperature test chamber.
"Chen, this is a revolution in battery technology!" Marco said during a video call, his background the F1 pit lane. He held up a battery model excitedly. "Our electric formula racing cars need this. It can reduce charging time to five minutes!"
Just as the batteries were about to enter mass production, the International Energy Association suddenly revised the safety standards for new energy batteries. The newly added "Deep Sea Mineral Extraction Ethics" clause was a direct jab at the Cold Pool mining project. Chen Feng keenly sensed that this was a new round of attacks launched by Black Wolf Heavy Industries in collusion with international capital.
"They want to trap us through the rules," Liu Ruyan said, showing him the newly received WTO complaint file. "But our entire extraction process is transparent, and the Cold Pool belongs to a natural vein in China, protected by domestic law."
Chen Feng nodded, his gaze falling on the globe on his desk. He suddenly recalled the Space System’s "Civilization Resonance" prompt—the gift of the Cold Pool’s resources was never meant for monopoly, but for sharing. "Open the core patents for the battery technology for licensing," he said suddenly, "but the mining rights for the permanent magnet ore must remain in the hands of Chinese craftsmen."
At the International Energy Conference in Geneva, Chen Feng’s speech shook the entire industry: "We are not builders of technological barriers, but ferrymen for clean energy." He displayed the intelligent mining base at the Cold Pool. "The birth of every 'Cold Pool Core' battery is accompanied by the purification of the Cold Pool water and the restoration of the surrounding mountains and forests."
When the International Energy Association finally recognized the ecological friendliness of the Cold Pool mining project, orders for the new energy vehicles poured in like snowflakes. On the day the first SUV equipped with a "Cold Pool Core" battery hit the market, the test video showing a 1,200-kilometer range surpassed one billion views on social media, and the comment section was flooded with tags celebrating the "Rise of Chinese New Energy."
In the dead of winter, by the Cold Pool, Chen Feng took Old Zhou to inspect the newly completed ecological monitoring station. The old man looked at the shimmering vein of ore underwater and suddenly pointed at the surface. "Little Feng, look!"
A school of blue fish never before seen was swimming around the mining area, their scales shimmering in harmony with the light of the permanent magnet vein. Su Yuhan’s test report showed that these fish had undergone a benign mutation in their genetic sequence—a miracle of the Space System’s symbiosis with nature.
"My father once said that machinery and nature should mesh like gears," Chen Feng said, touching his pendant. In the light-mist, the ecological cycle diagram his father had drawn at the agricultural machinery station appeared. "Now, we have done it."
As the New Year's bells rang, beneath the ice on the surface of the Cold Pool, the permanent magnet vein vibrated gently with the tide. Chen Feng knew this was the heartbeat of the Earth, a symphony between the Space System and human wisdom. He looked toward the distant machinery plant; the lights of the new energy battery production line intertwined with the warm glow of the food processing plant, forming a brilliant sea of industrial stars.
That night, Chen Feng wrote in his diary: "Deep diving into the Cold Pool is not about taking, but about having a conversation. When we learn to resonate with the land, the turning of the gears becomes the rhythm of nature." His phone vibrated; Liu Ruyan had sent a message: "The EU has officially approved the 'Cold Pool Core' battery for the market. The first cargo ship sets sail tomorrow."
He smiled and looked into the depths of the Cold Pool. It was no longer just a cold vein of ore, but a bond connecting the past to the future—an industrial poem woven from his father’s dreams, his team’s sweat, and the gifts of the Space System. The new energy era that belonged to Chen Feng was roaring toward the world, flowing along with the waters of the Cold Pool, carrying the wisdom and responsibility of Chinese craftsmen.